U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, are heading to Egypt on Wednesday to take part in peace talks aimed at ending the Gaza
conflict. They’ll be joining negotiations involving Israeli and Hamas representatives, which have so far struggled to make progress.
A senior Palestinian official told the BBC that Tuesday’s second day of indirect talks ended without any concrete results. Still, Trump struck an optimistic tone, telling reporters there was “a possibility we could have peace in the Middle East” as Israel marked two years since the deadly Hamas-led attacks of October 7.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoided commenting directly on the talks, but said the country faced “fateful days of decision.” On social media, he reaffirmed Israel’s goals: “the return of all the kidnapped, the elimination of the Hamas regime, and ensuring Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”
Witkoff and Kushner were expected to leave the U.S. Tuesday night and arrive in Cairo the next morning, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Key mediators step in
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, seen as a crucial mediator, will also attend the meetings. According to Reuters, his presence is intended to help “push forward the Gaza ceasefire plan and hostage release agreement.” Turkey’s intelligence chief is also expected to join the discussions.
A senior Palestinian official said Tuesday’s evening session began at 7 p.m. local time after a morning round that ended in frustration. The main disputes remain over Israel’s proposed withdrawal maps from Gaza and Hamas’s demand for guarantees that Israel won’t resume fighting after the first phase of a deal.
“The talks are tough and haven’t yet produced any real breakthrough,” the official said, though mediators continue to work to bridge the gaps.
Trump told reporters the U.S. would “do everything possible to make sure everybody adheres to the deal.”
Five core issues
Negotiators are focusing on five main points:
- A permanent ceasefire.
- The exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners.
- The withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
- Humanitarian aid access and delivery.
- Post-war governance of the territory.
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator — who survived an Israeli airstrike in Qatar last month — said his group came with a “serious and responsible attitude.” He added that Hamas wants “real guarantees” from Trump and the international community that the war will end for good.
Another Hamas official, Fawzi Barhoum, said negotiators were trying to “remove all obstacles to an agreement that meets the aspirations of our people.”
Trump said the chance for peace was “really good,” adding that the goal was not only about Gaza but about “something even beyond the Gaza situation.” He emphasized the urgent need for “the release of the hostages immediately.”
The human toll
As the world marks the second anniversary of the 7 October attacks — the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust — UN Secretary General António Guterres called on all sides to seize what he described as a “historic opportunity” for peace under Trump’s plan.
Public sentiment in Israel has shifted: polls suggest around 70% of Israelis now support ending the war if it means the hostages come home.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the October 2023 Hamas attack that killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken. Since then, at least 67,173 people have been killed in Gaza, including over 20,000 children, according to Gaza’s health ministry — figures the UN considers credible.
The ministry also reports that 460 people have died from malnutrition, including 182 since August, when famine was officially declared in Gaza City. The UN-backed food security body says more than half a million Gazans are now living in “catastrophic conditions” marked by “starvation, destitution, and death.”
Netanyahu continues to deny that starvation is taking place in Gaza.
Last month, a UN commission of inquiry accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza — a charge Israel’s foreign ministry dismissed as “distorted and false.”
As the Cairo talks continue, the world watches closely to see whether this latest round of diplomacy — and the arrival of Kushner and Witkoff — can finally deliver what so many have long hoped for: an end to the war in Gaza. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.